"I almost didn't go (on the second interview with Minnesota), yeah. I was so disappointed," Zimmer told Fox Sports at Saturday's NFL career-development symposium. "It was like, 'Why even do this?' It was to that point. I figured I was getting too old. I thought, 'Forget this.' "

Zimmer didn't reveal which organization passed on him, but it was likely the Titans' hiring of Ken Whisenhunt that sent him into a temporary malaise. As one of the NFL's top assistants for the past decade and a half, Zimmer had grown understandably bitter after a half-dozen turns as a coaching bridesmaid.